Stockton Civic Theatre (SCT) proudly presents its 395th main stage production in its 66th season, Calendar Girls. This is a hilarious and inspiring true story by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi of Miramax Motion Picture of eleven WI members who posed nude for a calendar to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund.
The premise alone is engaging. SamuelFrench.com, owner of the rights to Calendar Girls describes the plot like this:
“When Annie's husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow WI members to pose nude with them for an ‘alternative’ calendar, with a little help from hospital porter and amateur photographer Lawrence. The news of the women's charitable venture spreads like wildfire, and hordes of press soon descend on the small village of Knapeley in the Yorkshire Dales…”
Calendar Girls cast features an all-star ensemble to execute this heartwarming tale led by Cindy Braden as Annie and Elly Award-winning choreographer Nina Thiel as Chris. The rest of the cast, loaded with veteran thespians, also includes Christina Chavez Nelson as Ruth, Judy Caruso Williamson as Jessie, Karie Nelson as Cora, Laura Hagler as Celia, Peggy Coleman as Marie, Ashlyn Kelley as Elaine, Bill Yee as John, Grady Taylor as Lawrence, Jeanine Michael Kiley as Lady Cravenshire, Michael Gadeke as Rod, Patricia Jannay as Brenda Hulse, and finally, Ricky Vasquez as Liam. This team of actors have various roles in community organizations in both education and entertainment.
Stockton Civic Theatre welcomes a new director to the Central Valley, Beth Lopes, a freelance director and teacher based in Los Angeles. Lopes has this to say about the show:
“This play centers around a group of women from different walks of life that have found each other at the local Women’s Institute. They may have not been friends in the outside world, but within the walls of their WI, they find a community that grants them the courage to exist as they really are.”
Calendar Girls is a massive hit right now and has received awards like What’s On Stage Award for Best New Comedy in 2010. The play runs April 26th-May 13th, 2017 at Stockton Civic Theatre at 2312 Rosemarie Ln, Stockton. Details are at sctlivetheatre.com.
Stockton Civic Theatre’s production is designed by Technical Director Brian Johnson and Artistic Director Dennis Beasley (set), Jenny Key (costumes), Melanie Dane (props), Nichole Pendley (lighting), and Craig Vincent (sound).